The Kids From Yesterday
by Made-From-Uru
Summary: Steve looked up at the Smithsonian exhibit. Next to the display of Bucky and the Howling Commando's was a picture of a young girl with dark hair and green eyes. 'Lois Foster, childhood friend's with Steve Rogers and James Barnes, helped found Shield, working closely with Peggy Carter for a year before she went missing in action.' Steve wished he knew what had happened. OCxBucky
1. Prologue

July 1926

Lois Foster was born on November 11th 1918 to Jack and Celia Foster. They always considered her a good luck charm, especially seeming as her birthday fell on the day that the Great War ended. Everyone remembered celebrating and laughing, which was suddenly interrupted when Celia went into labor. _"You knew it was safe to come out,"_ her mother would always tease her.

Lois was a very smart little girl. Smarter than her three older sisters and smarter than her older brother too. Her brother, William – named after his grandfather – took a particular shining to the little girl. Twelve years her senior, he absolutely adored her, something that made Lois' three sisters resent her.

Yes, Lois was exceptionally smart. She was very adventurous and always reading, wanting to learn more. William would often take her on trips around Central Park and New York City, pointing out historic buildings and teaching her their pasts. Her father thought that, if she had been born a boy, she would have been one of the greatest minds of her generation.

Jack Foster always tried to teach her and feed her need for knowledge, but he was a realist, and he knew that she would never be respected for her brain because she was a woman. It broke his heart.

Jack Foster was a professor of History at New York University and had seemingly passed his intelligence down to his children, notably his first and last born. His son was born to be an engineer, and while Jack would of preferred that he ventured down Jack's own line of expertise he encouraged his son to pursue his talents.

Jack had no doubt that when his youngest daughter was old enough she would want to go to university too. Luckily, the Foster Family were financially well off and his daughter was smart enough to go (as well as stubborn enough not to let misogynistic trolls stop her) to university. Jack and his wife were just thankful that they would be able to allow their youngest daughter the opportunity to go.

Lois was an exceptional little girl. She was extremely kind, pretty and smart. Her raven hair bounced around as she skipped everywhere, her bright green eyes were always full of life. Freckles sprinkled her face and she always wore a smile. By the age of six she was already reading books meant for high schoolers, and at the age of ten she was reading books meant for university students. It was truly amazing.

Lois' one draw back, however, was her reluctance to make friends. Her three older sisters adored her, but they were very different to Lois. The other little girls that her mother's friends would bring around bored her. When she was very little she would go play with the boys that came to visit their family and they would all run around and fall in the mud and laugh, but as they got older they started to ignore her, saying that she wouldn't be able to keep up in her dress.

Lois' eldest sister, Evelyn, would tell her that they didn't want to play with her anymore because playing in the mud was something _boys_ did, not little girls. She told Lois that she would _'never get a husband by rolling around in the mud playing silly little games_ '. Lois told her that if that was the case she didn't want a husband.

When Lois was six, William went to MIT to study a degree in engineering. Lois was sad to see her best friend go, and William was heartbroken to leave her behind. But he promised her that he would write to her and talk to her on the phone whenever he could to tell her all about university. Lois was now without a real friend for the first time in her life, and her mother told two of her three daughters to look after Lois and include her to keep her company.

Evelyn, who was determined to marry as soon as possible and be a good housewife and mother, spent the majority of her time attending dinner parties with her friends. Evelyn was sixteen years old, and Lois would rather burn all her books than spend a day with Evelyn and her friends. Evelyn had beautiful golden locks that curled at the top of her shoulders, and they were often a feature that Lois envied. Lois had taken after her father, whereas Evelyn had taken after her mothers blonde hair and blue eyes, the poster girl of beauty at the time with her pink cheeks and lips and her soft skin. Lois didn't think too greatly about looks, but she still hoped that when she was older she would be as pretty as her eldest sister.

Her second eldest sister was fourteen-year-old Grace. Grace was Lois' favourite sister, but Lois wasn't allowed to spend time with her unless it was in the house. According to her mother, Grace had fallen into a 'rough crowd', the sort that people of their class didn't fall into. Their father still loved Grace but he agreed with his wife; partying with common riff raffs was not acceptable for one of his daughters. Grace was much more fun than Evelyn of Lottie though; like Lois, Grace was always full of life. She was always laughing and moving about and Lois wished that she could go around with Grace, but even Grace thought that it would be a bad idea.

The last option was Lottie, the second youngest in the Foster Family. Lottie was only a year younger than Grace but completely different. In some ways she was similar to Evelyn. Lottie wanted to be a 'woman of class' and marry a rich young man, but where Evelyn was kind and charming Lottie was cold and reserved. She disapproved of Lois' want to run around in the mud and her interest in superheroes and cars and university and she didn't mind telling Lois her opinions. Lottie was Lois' least favourite sister.

Unfortunately for Lois though, Lottie thought that it would be a wonderful opportunity to teach Lois how to be a proper young lady instead of follow William around all day, reading and playing in the mud.

It was November 13th 1924 when Lottie took a six-year-old Lois out with her friends to town in Brooklyn. Lottie and her three friends, Ruth, Mabel and Emma had taken Lois to all their favourite clothes shops in Manhattan and were now taking a walk through Brooklyn to meet with some more friends where they would get some tea. Lois was having a horrid time, and as she passed a group of boys playing football she itched to go tackle them and score a goal, something that Lois would have been able to do easily, despite being in a stiff dress.

"Lois," Lottie's sharp voice called Lois from where she was walking with her friends in front of Lois. "Respectable ladies don't _dawdle._ Keep up."

Lois dragged her feet along the ground even slower just to peeve off Lottie. They were currently walking through a park, which was in the middle of a busy block. It was extremely cold out and Lois was grateful for her coat.

A girl was walking past them in what looked like near rags. The girl could have been pretty if it weren't for her gaunt face and heavy bags under her eyes. Lois heart wrenched at the thought of anyone going hungry. The girl must have been about her age, a little taller than Lois though and with dark skin and brown eyes.

Lottie's shrill laugh erupted from in front of Lois along with Lottie's friends' laughs. Lottie pointed at the young girl and whispered into Emma's ear before the both began to giggle again. Lois clenched her fists angrily. This girl looked like she hadn't eaten a good meal in _weeks_ , nor did it look like she had any decent clothes, and they were _laughing_ at her?

The girl looked scared at the attention on her and quickened her walk through the park, but Lois stepped in front of her. Lottie and her friends kept walking until they heard Lois' voice talking to the girl, which, when they heard, they quickly turned on their heels.

"Are you okay?" Lois asked the girl who looked startled at Lois' words. The girl nodded, but her eyes were stuck to the ground. The girl was without a coat and she looked freezing, her arms had goose pimples dotted everywhere. "Here," Lois said, shrugging off her coat, "Take my coat."

"Lois!" Lottie stormed over to them and ripped the jacket from Lois' outstretched arms. The girl looked up at Lottie with a terrified expression on her face. "What are you _doing_?"

"Giving her my coat. I have plenty at home and-"

"You don't give people like _that_ ," she nodded at the girl who looked like she was about to cry, implying that Lois shouldn't show her kindness due to the colour of the girls skin, "coats like _this_." Lottie lifted the expensive coat as an example. "Now, put it back on." She shoved the coat back into Lois' hands.

Lois was seething with anger, something that the little girl rarely felt so strongly. But with Lottie's stern glare on her she slowly put the jacket back on. Lottie nodded, pleased with her work, and stepped back, motioning for Lois to continue walking with her. Lottie's friends were watching on with sad expressions on their faces, but none made a move to defend Lois.

In a split second decision, Lois grabbed the girls hands and, ignoring Lottie's screech, began to run, dragging the girl along with her. Lois giggled manically as Lottie screamed after her, and her laughter seemed contagious because the girl she was dragging along with her had begun laughing too. Lois knew that her sister wouldn't run after her.

Lois didn't know how long they ran for, only knowing that they were both running as fast as they could. Eventually, Lois dragged the girl into an alley way off a busy road when a pain found its way to Lois' side. The pair fell to the ground, laughing and panting.

When both girls had calmed down a bit, Lois stood up and outstretched her hand to the girl. The girl got up too and hesitantly took Lois' hand and shook it. "I'm Lois." Lois grinned.

"Frances," The girl replied, still slightly out of breath.

"Are you cold?" Lois asked, letting her hand fall to her side.

The girl nodded, looking at the ground like she had in the park.

"Here, take my coat." Lois shrugged the coat back off her shoulders and offered it to the girl. Frances shook her head violently.

"No, I couldn't."

"Nonsense!" Lois laughed, "You need it a lot more than I do." The girl eventually took the coat and placed it over her shoulders. "It looks much better on you anyway." Lois leaned in and whispered.

Frances smiled down at the floor. "Thank you," She said, but it came out only as a whisper. Lois wasn't stupid, far from it. She knew that people of colour were not very well liked, although she had read that it was a lot worse in the south – at least before her brother ripped the books from her, telling her that she was too young to read about those sort of affairs.

"I better go," Lois said lamely after a moment. "Take care of yourself." She said and went to turn, but the girl unexpectedly launched herself on Lois, hugging her tightly. After a moment of shock, Lois hugged back.

Frances released Lois and smiled widely at her, her eyes filling with tears. Lois started to feel a bit uncomfortable. Why was this girl about to cry? Had Lois offended her? Lois smiled back at her, but it didn't reach her eyes. She waved at Frances and turned to walk away.

As she walked along the street on her own she finally realised just how cold it _was._ The breeze felt like pins on her bear arms and passing grownups looked down at her in an odd manner. It was a strange sight, though. A young, well groomed girl was walking along on her own, with no coat on in this weather.

Lois ignored their stares and just kept walking.

~8~

Lois had been wondering around Brooklyn's street for about four hours, avoiding all police officers. She was very cold, and the sky was getting dark. She knew she would have to find her way back eventually.

She was currently perched upon a set of fire escape stairs, the cool metal burning her though her dress. She had her head in her lap when she heard some voices from the level above her.

"John Carter is much better than Zorro," One of the voices said. She could tell that he was a young boy, a little older than she was.

"No way," another voice squeaked. "Zorro could easily take on John Carter."

Lois' ears perked up, listening to the conversation intently. She had, of course, read both of the comic series that the two voices were talking about, having obtained them through William. She personally preferred Zorro and agreed with the second, smaller voice. She got up and began climbing the stairs, ready to defend Zorro to her grave.

When she reached the next level she found two boys sitting by an open window, cross legged and facing each other. One of the boys had a mop of dark hair on top of his head and a crooked smile plastered on his face. The boy sitting next to him was substantially smaller, with light blond hair, combed back across his head.

"John Carter would _slaughter_ Zorro, admit it!" The boy with brown hair said, nodding as he spoke.

"Nonsense," Lois said, interrupting them. Both boys turned to face her, startled expressions on their faces. "Zorro is much more skilled with a sword."

The boy with brown hair's face hardened. "Who are you?" He asked.

Lois shrugged.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"What are you doing on this fire escape?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

The blond boy looked on, a concerned expression on his face.

" _This_ ," he motioned to the open window, "Is Steve's apartment."

Lois didn't know who Steve was, but the boy with brown hair didn't seem to care. "Yes, but it's freezing out," Lois said. "Why aren't you inside?"

"Why are _you_ out without a coat?" The blond boy finally spoke, and both Lois and the dark haired boy looked at him, startled.

The boy with dark hair looked back at Lois and seemed to suddenly notice that Lois was, in fact, without a coat. "What the heck? You must be freezing! Where's your jacket."

Lois shrugged again. "So you think that John Carter could beat Zorro." She sat down next to the two boys.

"What would _you_ know about it, _girl_?" The dark haired boy growled. The blond boy's eyes widened.

"Enough to know that Zorro would _totally_ win." Lois said, ignoring that insult. She got it enough at home to know how to ignore it.

The dark haired boy seemed taken back by Lois' lack of reaction towards the insult and he looked lost for words.

"Well, she obviously knows more than you to know that Zorro would win." The blond boy said, and Lois grinned at him. "I'm Steve." He stuck out his hand, and Lois shook it.

"Lois." She nodded at Steve. Steve turned to look at the other boy, and Lois followed his gaze.

The other boy looked at Steve and then back at Lois before rolling his eyes. "I'm Bucky." He said and shook her hand too.

"But I think we all know that Cave Girl would beat both of them." Lois smirked.


	2. Chapter 1

August 1934

Bucky had let Lois stay because she was actually pretty cool. She knew loads about cars and she had loads of comic books that they could borrow. She was funny and good at sports, and she was a lot of fun to be around.

Bucky was two years older and Lois, but the girl was surprisingly smart for her age, much brighter than Steve and even Bucky, who was older than both of them. Lois didn't go to their school, they didn't know what school she went to. In all the ten years that they had known her they didn't even know where she lived. They guessed that she was from a rather wealthy family judging by the quality of dress that she wore – not that Bucky and Steve knew much about dresses. She never really talked about her family much, apart from the rare 'William leant me an old comic book,' or 'My sister Lottie's getting married.'

This is what they were talking about now as the sat in a diner in late August, the eighteen and the sixteen year old boys relaxing after a stressful (last day, for Bucky) day at school and the sixteen year old girl who met them at the diner everyday at five.

"I thought you didn't like Lottie?" Bucky asked the girl. She had told them about how different Lottie was to herself, but neither Bucky nor Steve had ever met her. They had only ever met Evelyn, who came to visit them with Lois when they first met her.

Lois would never tell them this, but her parents had sent Evelyn to go 'check out' the two boys to make sure that they were decent company for their youngest daughter. The day that she met Bucky and Steve she had returned home to a frantic Celia Foster and her husband who was busy scolding Lottie for loosing Lois. They had sent police out to look out for her, which Lois had predicted.

After everyone had calmed down and her mother had stopped kissing her cheeks she told them about Bucky and Steve. She asked her parents if she could hang out with them again, but her parents had been reluctant. Lois reassured them that they were decent kids, and that it would do her good hanging out with people her own age with similar interests. Her parents originally said no, but on second thinking decided that they would allow it after they had met them.

Lois said she didn't want her parents to meet Bucky and Steve. When she was asked why she simply said, _'Because they don't know I'm upper class, and if the meet you they will know. I like that they treat me normal, like one of them.'_ Her parents eventually decided to send Evelyn out with Lois instead to inspect the boys themselves.

Steve and Bucky had been perfect gentlemen to Evelyn, and Lois was surprised that, even at the age of eight, Bucky had a lot of charm. Evelyn knew that he would be a heart breaker when he grew up.

Evelyn returned home with Lois later that day to inform her parents that she deemed it fit for Lois to hang out with them, and her parents agreed. Ten years had passed since then, and Lois, Bucky and Steve had become inseparable

"No, I don't. But I still have to go to the wedding." Lois sipped her milkshake as Steve sat opposite her, Bucky to her left.

"Well, she _is_ your sister." Steve said. He hadn't grown much since Lois met him. In muscle, at least. He was extremely lanky and small, and even Lois was slightly taller than him. Bucky, on the other hand, had grown up quite handsome. He had a strong jawline and was tall, and Lois knew that Evelyn had been right. Already Bucky had a long string of women following him around, and she knew that all of them would be left with a broken heart.

Lois, in Bucky's opinion, had grown up very nicely too. Her raven hair hung just over her shoulders and her eyes were their usual bright green. Her freckles were still there, and while they were traditionally not linked to beauty, they suited Lois. She was very pretty with soft, red lips and pink cheeks, and Bucky thought that if she paid more attention to her looks she could get any boy she wanted. Bucky, of course, didn't think much about her looks. _Much._ She was Lois, and he was Bucky. They were friends, that was all.

But Lois didn't think the same about Bucky. It had only happened recently, but Lois found herself blushing ever so slightly when Bucky would flash a smile her way, and a horrible feeling would settle in her stomach whenever he talked to another girl. Which was stupid. He was Bucky, and she was Lois. They were friends, and that is all they would ever be.

"Yes, thank you for that observation Steve." Lois remarked dryly and Bucky smiled into his drink.

"When is it?" Steve asked, ignoring her sarcasm.

"Well, she wants to get married and have kids as soon as possible, so in two days."

" _Two days?_ " Steve's eyes widened. "And they only got engaged yesterday?"

"Yep." Lois rolled her eyes. Typical Lottie. She hadn't changed much over the years, only filling out into her body.

"And where is the wedding?" Bucky asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You are _not_ invited." Lois said, taking another sip at her drink.

Bucky whined. "Why not? We weren't invited to William's wedding, we weren't invited to Evelyn's and now we're not invited to Lottie's?"

"Yeah," Steve added, "we want to finally meet your family. You've met ours."

"You came fishing with mine." Bucky argued. Last year his folks had taken him, Steve and Lois out to a lake in Pennsylvania to go fishing. It had taken a lot of convincing to get Lois' parents to let her go.

"Well that's on you guys." Lois said, finishing off her milkshake.

"Well then, Steve and I may just leave you here on your own." Bucky said, lifting his head up and looking over at Steve.

"No you won't." Lois shook her head. "Steve is too much of a gentleman."

"What about me?" Bucky said in mock hurt. "I'm plenty nice to dames, just not _you_."

"Gee," her dry tone came back, "You make me feel like the only gal in the world."

Bucky grinned at her, and Steve spoke up. "Seriously though, Lu, why won't you let us meet your family."

 _Because I don't want you to treat me any different because of my money, like everyone else does. You two are the most honest people I've ever met._

"Because." Lois shrugged.

"Well maybe we _will_ go." Steve said with pursed lips. When Lois snorted her stood up and looked at Bucky. "Let's go, Buck."

Bucky stood up two and the two men looked at Lois with pointed looks. "Go on then," Lois said, taking another sip of her milkshake, "But you're not meeting my family."

Before Steve could respond Bucky grabbed his arm. "Fine." He said before dragging Steve out of the diner. They walked past the window that Lois was seated at and she looked at them and waved. Bucky kept dragging Steve away until the came to a corner and turned.

"We're going back, right?" Steve asked, already feeling bad about leaving their friend behind.

"No," Bucky replied, "But Steve, I've had a great idea."

Steve gave him a doubtful look. "Go on."

"Why don't we _follow_ her."

" _What?"_

"Just to see where she lives, then we can knock on the door and she wont have a choice _but_ to let is meet her family."

"I'm not sure," Steve began, but Bucky interrupted him.

"Well, we've known her for ten years now. It seems fitting that her folks get to meet who she spends most of her time with. It would be the polite thing to do for a dame like Lois."

Steve looked doubtful still. "There may be a reason that she doesn't want us to meet her family."

"Nah," Bucky shook his head, placing his hands on Steve's shoulders. "Course there isn't." When Steve still looked unsure, Bucky continued. "Plus, following her will make sure that she don't get into any danger."

"She walks home on her own everyday and is fine."

"Yes, _but_ if we start now we can make sure that she wont get into danger in the future. She's turning into a pretty young lady, Steve. All sorts of guys will start taking an interest in her. If we find out where she lives we can walk her home everyday." This seemed to convince Steve, and he nodded.

The two peaked around the corned, waiting for Lois to wonder out of the diner. When she eventually did she turned down the opposite road, and Bucky and Steve quickly followed to catch her up.

They made sure that they stayed far enough behind that Lois wouldn't see them immediately if she turned around and far enough that any people walking past didn't think that they were following her with… bad intentions. Bucky didn't want to think about anyone treating Lois like that.

The more Bucky thought about it the more he didn't want any guys other than Steve and him to even _talk_ to Lois, even with _good_ intentions. It was a weird feeling that planted itself in the pit of his stomach, but Bucky pushed it aside.

"Where the hell is she _going_?" Bucky asked as she made her was from the diner through to Midtown Manhattan. The diner that they met at everyday was a short subway ride into Manhattan from Brooklyn, where Steve and Bucky lived. They had assumed that she lived somewhere in Queens or in the Bronx, but Lois didn't seem to be making her over to any of those places.

They followed her down a road with expensive housing along is, each house about four stories tall with grand stairs going up to the door when Lois suddenly walked up to one of the doors. Steve and Bucky looked across at her from across the street with confused faces.

She knocked on the door and a man in smart clothes opened it. They couldn't hear what was being said, but the man smiled at her and stepped aside to let her in, bowing his head slightly.

"She can't live _here_." Steve mumbled. "I mean, we knew she was wealthy, but I dint think…" he trailed off.

"Her family must be stupid rich." Bucky said, and then a horrible feeling settled in his stomach. "You don't think that she hasn't let us meet her family because of our class, do you? You don't think she's ashamed of us?"

Steve shook his head. "No. She's not that sort of person." But even Steve couldn't shrug off the feeling.

Bucky grabbed Steve's arm like he had done at the diner and dragged him to the door Lois had gone through. "What are you…"

Bucky shushed him and knocked confidently on the door. The door swung open a second later and the man who had opened the door for Lois stood before them. "May I help you?" He asked them. _Does… does Lois have a butler?_ Bucky thought.

"Uh, yes. Is Lois there?" Bucky asked with a smile on his face.

Just as the man was about to reply Lois came and stood in the hallway and stared at them, horror written over her face. She had heard their voices, but she had prayed that it wasn't them.

"What are you _doing_ here?" She hissed, walking towards the door.

"Miss Lois, do you need me here?" The man asked, and Lois looked over at him.

"No, you may go Michael." Lois turned her furious gaze back at Bucky and Steve, but they didn't have time to get scared. They were too busy gawking at the hallway in her house. It was _amazing._ Red carpets climbed expensive staircases. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Beautiful paintings draped the walls. It was truly and utterly beyond what either of them had expected. "Did you _follow_ me here?"

Her angry voice brought both men out of their awe and they both looked at Lois, Bucky with a huge grin on his face. "You live _here_?" He laughed.

"Yes, and I want you to go before-"

"Lois, who's at the door?" A woman called from inside the house with a seemingly English accent, and Lois whimpered. Just then a small woman with graying blonde hair swinging at her shoulders walked to the door. She was well dressed in a purple satin dress and her heels made _clicks_ against the marble floor. Diamonds hung at her ears and a silver necklace was laced around her neck. Bucky and Steve thought that she looked a little old fashioned, as if she had stepped straight of 1910.

"No one, mother-" Lois began, but Bucky interrupted, wearing a huge grin on his face and leaning slightly to the left so that the woman could see past Lois.

"Hello ma'am," He said, waving, "You must be Lois' mother!" The woman looked slightly lost, so he continued. "Although you look young enough to be her sister."

Lois rolled her eyes and blew a stray strand of hair from her face. Steve buried his face in his hands. "I appreciate the flattery," Lois' mother replied with raised eyebrows and an amused smile on her face, "But know that it is wasted on me, I am too old to swoon over such trivial things." She chuckled and came to rest next to her daughter at the doorway. "You must be Bucky," She smiled at Bucky and then turned to Steve, "And you must be Steve. My daughter has told me a lot about her infamous friends."

Lois blushed, and both Bucky and Steve turned to smirk at her. Lois' mother extended her hand and Bucky and Steve shook it politely. Lois looked like she would rather be anywhere else but there.

 _She's told her folks about us?_ Bucky thought to himself. _At least that means she isn't ashamed of us._

"I'm Lois' mother, Celia." Celia introduced herself. "Would you like to come in? I have been eager to meet Lois' _only_ friends for quite a while."

Lois rolled her eyes again. It was no secret that her mother didn't approve of her lack of friends. When she wasn't at school or hanging out with Steve and Bucky she was in her room reading books or painting. Lately she had taken a particular interest in Chemical Thermodynamics and had often been so engrossed with her books that she would forget to get something to eat.

Her mother didn't disapprove of Lois having friends from working class families, not at all. It was just that Celia wished that Lois would make friends with the children of Celia's friend's children too. Lois had decided soon after she met Steve and Bucky that two friends was all she needed and gave up trying to socialize with the other children all together.

"No." Lois said just as Bucky said "Yes please, Ma'am." And Celia seemed to only hear Bucky. She smiled broadly and stepped aside to let the two young men through the door.

Lois scowled as Bucky walked through the door, a huge smirk on his face, as Steve followed in after. As Steve stepped past Lois he could hear her cursing creatively under her breath. "Sorry," He whispered to her. "There's no stopping Bucky when he wants something.

"You're telling me." Lois huffed in reply, and Steve and Lois trudged miserably after Bucky and Celia.

"What a lovely house, Mrs Foster." Bucky was saying as he looked up at the glorious staircase.

"Thank you," Celia smiled. "I'll fetch Ellen and have her bring in some tea. Lois, dear, take your friends into the front room." Celia waved her hand and wondered off down a corridor. As soon as she was gone Lois smacked Steve and Bucky upside the head. Steve, who was expecting this, didn't react much, but Bucky hissed and clutched his head where she had struck him.

"What are you two _doing_ here?" She hissed.

"What? We wanted to make sure you got home safely." Bucky feigned innocence.

"So you _followed_ me? And then vomited flattery to work your way into my house? You little sneak!"

"Look, we're really sorry, Lois." Steve said, eyebrows pushed together in thought. "We just wanted to know where you lived. You never tell us anything about your family."

"And what if I had a reason, hmm?" Lois sighed in resignation. "I suppose the damage is done." Bucky grinned manically. "Come on. Let's get this over and done with."

Lois led the two young men into a side room, which was just as well decorated as the hall. "I'm sorry it's so dreary in here," Lois said. "My mother's very old fashioned."

"I never thought that you were born into such a prestige family, Lois dear." Bucky mocked, and Steve had to cover his snort of laughter.

"One wrong move, Barnes, and I will _end_ you." Lois said, pointing a finger at Bucky.

"We knew you were well off, Lu, but I feel like I just stepped into the White House." Steve confessed.

"And who's Ellen? Do you have a _maid_?" When Lois pressed her lips together, Bucky got his answer. "A maid _and_ a butler. No wonder you were able to buy all those comics."

Just then Celia entered the room, followed by a petite woman holding a tray of tea. Celia gestured for Steve and Bucky to sit down on one of the couch's in the room where the woman – Ellen, presumably – brought them two cups of tea. Celia and Lois sat opposite them, Lois still scowling.

"My Lois speaks very fondly of you two, you know." Celia began. "I hope you two aren't getting her into any trouble, now."

"No Ma'am," replied Steve, "She keeps us out of it."

"I'm glad to hear it. It's a shame Mr Foster isn't here to meet you. We've been wanting to meet our Lois' friends for quite a while."

"Likewise." Bucky said.

"We're all very busy at the moment. My second youngest, Charlotte, is getting married this weekend."

"Yes, Lois was just telling us that earlier today." Bucky said.

"Oh? I hope she extended an invitation to you both."

Bucky turned to face Lois with a very smug expression on his face. Lois looked like she was in pain. "No," Bucky said, "She had not."

"Oh, why ever not! You two must come! The whole family has been dying to meet you, and it would be lovely to see Lois with her friends instead of sitting in her room all the time."

"We would _love_ to come!" Bucky said, and Steve had to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

~8~

Steve and Bucky made their way to the church that the wedding was to be taken place at on a hot Sunday morning dressed in their best clothes. They didn't know if they should bring a wedding present for Lois' sister but they had ended up both pitching in and bought a tea set. They had asked Lois to help them pick, but she had been absolutely hopeless with picking one out. She had no idea what she was doing, and she was also still sulking about her mother inviting Steve and Bucky to Lottie's wedding. 10 years she had managed to keep her friends and family separate, and now they were colliding together at immense speeds all of a sudden.

Bucky teased her relentlessly for everything she did now. "That's not what a respectable young lady does, Lois." "Miss Foster, you really _must_ try this new tea, it's simply _darling._ " "Honestly, Lois, you'd think a girl of your class could pick out a simple tea set!"

When they got to the church a large number of people were already standing outside. The women were all dressed in rich summer dresses, much more expensive than either had seen so many people wear in real life before. The men were all in suit and tie, and Bucky and Steve were relieved that they didn't look too out of place.

The two looked around awkwardly for Lois before spotting her laughing with a dark haired man in his late 20's. It took Bucky and Steve a moment to realize it _was_ Lois, because the girl standing in front of them _couldn't_ be their friend.

Lois was dressed in a light green summer dress, but the dress wasn't out of the ordinary. Unlike the other women's dresses, Lois' wasn't too grand, but was pretty in a simplistic way. No, it was Lois' hair and makeup that made her look a lot different. Her hair was tied back in a loose bun rather than falling down on her shoulders in it's usual style, and the strands that framed her face were lightly curled. Her eye's were subtly lined with dark pencil, and her lips were blood red instead of their usual soft pink.

Bucky thought she looked beautiful, and his stomach seemed to drop 100 feet for some unknown reason.

"There she is!" Steve said as he caught her eye and waved her over. Lois turned to the man beside her and quickly said something to him before running over to Bucky and Steve.

"You two made it then," Lois said, and when Steve nodded she hit her thigh theatrically, "Dang it."

"You look very pretty." Steve said, and Lois smiled innocently and tossed a curled strand of hair with her hand.

"Well," she laughed.

Bucky seemed to be unable to speak for some reason, but simply passed it off as nerves because of all the people here.

"And you both look very dapper." Lois said, when Bucky had finally recomposed himself.

He tilted his head to one side and tossed some invisible hair with his hand, just like Lois had done. "Well," he mimicked.

"Come on, seeming as it's too late to send you two away, I might as well introduce you to my family."

Lois led the two young men through the crowds of people gathered outside the church in search for her family. They first stopped at a lady with pale golden blonde hair who was holding a small baby in her arms. When the lady looked up and saw Lois and the two men she broke into a smile. She was wearing a light pink dress with a matching hat perched on her

"This can't be Bucky and Steve, can it? Last – and only time – I saw you, you were only eight!"

"Bucky, Steve," Lois said, "This is my eldest sister, Evelyn, you may remember her." Steve and Bucky nodded. "And this is her son, James," She turned to Bucky, "Like you."

"Well, he's bound to be a trouble maker, then!" Steve joked, and Evelyn smiled down at her son.

Bucky, however was very offended. "Hey, _you're_ the one who always comes up with the stupid idea's. I just go along to make sure you don't end up killing yourself!"

"Oh, I know he'll be a trouble maker, just like his Aunty Lois." Evelyn smiled at her sister.

"Gee, thanks Evy. Where's Nathan?" Lois asked after her sister's husband.

"Probably talking to Father about some sort of rubbish." Evelyn scrunched up her face.

Lois rolled her eyes. "Do you know where Grace is?"

"I think she's over talking to cousin Esther." Lois nodded.

"Well, we better go." She said.

"It was nice seeing you two again," Evelyn said to Bucky and Steve.

"You too," Bucky said.

"And to little James, too." Steve said, and Evelyn smiled at him.

Lois led the pair over to the other side of the courtyard to a pair of girls talking quickly. One must have been in her mid twenties, and was dressed in red dress with dark hair cut close to her chin. The other was a bit younger, only slightly older than Lois, with mousy brown hair and in a blue dress. They were both very pretty, Bucky thought, but he was more drawn to the younger of the two.

Lois cleared her throat when the three came to stop in front of the girls, and the girls both looked up. The girl with dark hair looked confused to begin with, but realization soon hit her. She grinned manically and threw herself at Bucky and Steve, hugging them and squealing.

Bucky and Steve didn't know what to do, and just stood there awkwardly while the girl hugged them and Lois watched on, hiding a laugh behind her hand.

When the girl let them go she jumped up and down on the spot. "You must be Steve and Bucky!" She squealed. "I'm Grace, Lois' _favourite_ sister," Grace draped an arm around Lois, who rolled her eyes – she was doing that a lot recently. "I have wanted to meet you guys for a very long time."

"Well, that was entirely Lois' fault." Bucky said, and the brown haired girl coughed lightly, trying to get everyone's attention.

"Oh, Esther!" Lois realised, as if only noticing her there for the first time. "These our my friend's, Steve and Bucky." Steve noticed that Lois' smile look strained, and realised pretty instantly that she wasn't overly fond of Esther.

Bucky, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice. Instead he smiled charmingly at Esther like he did with all the pretty girls at their old school (they had left, and next year they were going to a local college).

"Hello, I'm Bucky." He nodded at Esther, and the girl smiled flirtatiously at him.

"Yes, I gathered that much." She purred, and Steve knew that Bucky's attention would be on her all night. Esther had an English accent, like Lois' mother. Steve and Bucky guessed that she was Lois' cousin on her mothers side.

Before Bucky could reply though, Lois grabbed the two boys by the arm. "Well, time to find Will!"

"But I only just met them!" Grace whined, and Bucky and Esther looked like they were about to protest as well.

"Well, you can speak to them later!" Lois said and dragged them off.

"What was that about?" Bucky hissed almost angrily. "I was talking to Esther!"

"I _know_. That's why I pulled you _away_."

"What? Are you _jealous_ or something?" Bucky came to a halt, forcing Steve and Lois to come to a stand still too. Steve sighed, knowing that this was going to lead to a big fight.

" _What?_ Jealous? Of _what_? _You_ and _Esther?"_ Lois scoffed, crossing her arms angrily. "I was _saving_ you! You don't know what she's like!"

"No, I don't. Because you just _dragged_ me away!"

"Ugh! This is _exactly_ why I didn't want you to come!"

"I'm sorry? Why didn't you want me to come?"

"Because you _always_ -" But before she could continue the man with dark hair from earlier stepped into the little triangle.

"Everything okay, Lois?" He asked skeptically, eyeing Bucky with narrowed eyes.

Lois took a shaky breath. "Yeah, I'm fine. Will, this is Steve and Bucky. Steve, Bucky, this is my older brother, Will."

"Nice to meet you." Steve said, extending his hand for Will to shake it.

"We've heard lots about you," Bucky said, his voice still a little tense. He shook hands with Will too.

"Likewise." Will said, sounding a little tense too.

"All good things, I hope." Steve jested, trying to make the atmosphere a little bit lighter.

"Only the best." Will smiled at him.

Just then, a tall man with greying hair stepped out of the threshold of the church and called for everyone's attention. "If you could all please come take seats inside. The ceremony will happen shortly."

The man stepped back inside and the crowd mumbled excitedly, slowly making their way into the church.

"That was father. You can meet him afterwards." Lois said. "We better go in." And with that she turned on her heel and stormed into the church.

~8~

The wedding had been a beautiful service. Everyone had been happy, the bride was stunning and the groom looked handsome. Everyone cheered when they kissed at the end, and Steve and Bucky watched it all happen in one of the back pews of the church. They no longer felt awkward – they had both turned on their charm, Bucky a little more than Steve – but they still felt slightly out of place.

The large party of people left the church and were all walking the short distance from the church to the Foster House for the reception. Bucky was walking a few paces in front of Lois and Steve, talking to Esther eagerly. Steve and Lois looked on with distaste.

"Why can't he ever just listen to me?" Lois hissed.

"What did you expect?" Steve tried to joke in an attempt to lighten the mood. It didn't work.

"I mean, _I'm_ the one who's known her all my life. _I'm_ the one who knows what she's really like." She turned to look at Steve. "You know, when I was three she cut all my hair off because she wanted to be the 'pretty' one?"

Steve didn't really know what to say, and thankfully he didn't have to say anything. Lois just carried on talking, eyes back on Bucky and Esther.

"He just likes her because she's pretty."

Steve looked down at the floor. He had noticed for a while now some… certain feelings that his friend held for Bucky. He noticed it just in small things. How she would blush ever so slightly when he would smile at her or how her eyes would gloss over a bit when he flirted with other girls. Like right now.

Steve felt sorry for Lois. She was such a great person and friend, and he wanted to shout at Bucky for every time that he hurt Lois. Steve knew it wasn't Bucky's fault, of course. Bucky was extremely oblivious to it all, and he was certain that Lois would never want Steve to tell him. Steve doubted _she_ even wanted to tell him. It was all very complicated.

"You're pretty too," Steve offered, and Lois turned to look at him, head tilted, eyebrows raised and an amused smile on her face.

"I thank you for the flattery, Steve," She said with a slightly dry tone, "But I'm not concerned over if she's prettier than me. I _know_ she's prettier than me, and I don't care. I don't care if people perceive me as pretty or not. I'm worried about _him._ Getting hurt."

Steve wasn't convinced that this was all it was, but nodded along anyway. "He can handle himself. And if not, it's his own fault."

Lois smirked at this. "You seem so sweet on the outside, but you are _brutal_ , Rogers."

The group of people came upon the Foster home and everyone stepped into the big house. Everyone, including Bucky and Esther, were making their way to a large room which the Foster's had converted into a ballroom for the evening.

"Hey Steve," Lois said quietly when they stepped into the hallway. "Do you want a tour of the house? I'm just kind of sick of my family right now."

Steve agreed, a part of him wondering if it was more because she didn't want to see Bucky and Esther dance, which they were already starting to do.

Lois led him up the staircase to the second floor. It was just as richly dressed, but felt more homely somehow.

"When I was seven I decided it would be a good idea to ride my bike down this corridor." Lois said fondly, "I fell down the stairs." She turned and smiled at Steve. "That's how I broke my arm that summer."

"Really?" Steve laughed. "That's disappointing. Bucky and I thought that you had been fighting bad guys and broke it that way."

Lois laughed too. "Well, there's still time for that to happen."

Lois led him down another corridor that opened up into a big room with bookshelves climbing the walls like vines. There must have been at over 500 books in this room, Steve thought. A big map of the world hung from a bare wall on the left and in the middle was a big oak table with open books on, scribbles written in the corner of the pages.

"This is my favourite room of the house." Lois said, absentmindedly running her hand over the spins of a row of books. "My goal is eventually to read every single one of these books."

"Good luck." Steve smiled and stepped over to inspect the map on the wall. Little red pins stuck out all over the map and Steve reached out to touch one. Lois saw this and came to stand next to him.

"These mark everywhere I'm going to go travelling." She said confidently.

"I didn't know you wanted to travel."

"Definitely. I can't think of anything worse than staying in New York all my life." Lois' eyes brightened and she looked at Steve. "You should come, too!"

Steve laughed. "What about Bucky?"

"Oh, he can come too, if he ever stops flirting with my cousin." Lois turned back to look at the map. "We could go everywhere! London, Paris, Tokyo!"

"Yes, but you're forgetting. We're not all as rich as you are, Lu."

Lois pulled a face. "We wouldn't be spending every night in five star hotels, Steve."

"Fine then, when you leave school we'll all go travelling together, even if it's just to Washington."

"I have always wanted to go to Washington DC." She stuck her hand out for Steve to shake. "All right Rogers, you've gotten yourself a deal."

After that, Lois pulled him back out of the library. "There are only two actually good rooms in this house. The library and my room."

Lois led him up another set of stairs to a third floor, and then up another set of stairs. These ones were much more subtle, though. They were simple wood and you had to go down a thin corridor to get to them. It looked like they led up to the attic, but when Lois led Steve up there he realised this was her room.

"We're in your room…" Steve said cautiously. It was still the 1930's, after all. It wasn't very proper for a young girl to invite a young man into her bedroom.

"Oh will you relax, Steven? I've been in yours and Bucky's rooms before."

Her room was very big but cluttered with junk. It was a loft room, and the ceiling sloped at the sides. On the ceiling someone had painted the night sky, the constellations painted on with silver paint and books piled up against the wall. The walls were painted too, with swirling colors spiraling up the sides. On one wall, a pile of canvases leant against the wall, some with paintings on them and some bare. One particular painting caught Steve's eye. It was a painting of a photograph taken a long time ago on Steve's 12th birthday. Bucky and Steve had their arms draped around a laughing ten-year-old Lois.

"I didn't know you could paint." Steve said, inspecting the painting with a soft smile on his face.

"It's only a hobby."

"You're pretty good."

Lois blushed. "You can have that one, if you like." She said, nodding to the painting.

"Are you sure?"

Lois nodded and picked up the canvas, offering it to Steve. Steve took it and placed it by the door ready to take with him when he left. It was only small, about as big as a sheet of paper.

"Thanks."

"Sorry you're missing out on dancing." Lois said guiltily.

"Don't worry about it. Who'd dance with me anyway?"

"Oh Steve, stop being so mopey." Lois thought for a moment before turning to a corner of her room where a turntable sat on a desk. She picked up a record from a pile to the left of the turntable and placed it on the turntable, and Red Nichols and his Orchestra's 'I've Got Rhythm' began playing.

"Mr. Roger's, will you give me the honor of this dance?" Lois said with a mockingly pompous voice.

"Certainly, Miss Foster." Steve replied with an equally pompous voice.

They swayed rhythmically together for while, laughing, when Lois broke away and began to dance enthusiastically around the room when the trumpet part came to play. Her dancing was the most ungraceful thing Steve had ever seen.

"You're dancing is _awful_. _"_ Steve said, laughing at his friend.

"You really know how to woo a girl, Steve." She said while she shook her head and her hair flew about crazily.

"I'm not sure this is the sort of song you dance to like that."

"Course it is!" She skipped over to Steve and pulled him to stand on top of her bed. "Come on! Dance!"

Eventually Steve joined in too, and the two friends where jumping about the room ungracefully, banging their heads and flailing their arms about.

The song came to an end and Steve and Lois froze, and looked at each other before they burst into laughter. After a good few minutes of laughing Lois choked out a: "We should probably go back downstairs."

"Yeah, we should."

"If you want your dignity saved, I wouldn't ask me to dance." Lois said, and Steve and Lois laughed again.


	3. Chapter 2

July 1935

"Have you told them yet?" Will asked an 18 year old Lois while they played chess together in Will's house in Brooklyn. His wife had taken his two sons, Edward and Gordon, to the zoo and his youngest sister had stopped by for a visit. William had been the one to teach Lois how to play chess when she was younger, and now he missed the days when he could beat her easily.

"No," Lois replied glumly.

"Well, you're going to have to tell them soon. You leave in a month."

"It's not that easy, Will. 'Oh, hey best friends. I'm moving to England in two weeks for three years. See you then!'" Lois said with fake joy.

Will rolled his eyes. "Well, it's better to at least give them a week to say goodbye rather than just a day."

Lois sighed. She knew her brother was right. Four months ago she had applied to Cambridge University in England for a physics degree. It was a wonderful opportunity, and her uncle had agreed to look after her while she was there. The university had accepted Lois, and she was giddy with disbelief and excitement, but then she realised that she would have to tell Bucky and Steve. That had been three months ago, and Lois had already finished school. In August she was scheduled to get a boat to England, which left her with only _one_ week to tell Bucky and Steve.

"Check mate." Will's smug voice bought her back to reality, and Lois stared down at the board to see that Will _had_ beaten her.

"Drat." Lois hissed.

"Seriously though, you're going to tell them. _Tonight_." Lois moaned. "Do you understand? Or _I_ will tell them."

"Fine." Lois growled. "I'll tell them."

And so the next day she went to go meet them at the diner like they always did on Fridays after the boys finished off at college. She arrived 15 minutes early and waited anxiously for Steve and Bucky to arrive. When they eventually did they sat down in the booth with Lois and quickly ordered a couple of drinks.

"Hey!" Lois said, grinning widely. _Drat,_ she thought to herself, _I'm going into panic-mode aren't I?_ It was a bad habit of Lois' to, when panicking, become extremely over-cheerful. "How are you guys today?"

The two men looked at her with suspicious looks. "Are you okay?" Bucky asked.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be? How was college?"

"Erm… good?" Steve said with raised eyebrows.

"Ah, college." Lois started, "the place you go after school. Bucky's finished school. Which is why he now go to college!" Steve and Bucky looked at each other with confusion written over their faces. "Steve and I have left school now."

"Yeah, we know." Bucky said.

"I'm going to college."

"Yeah, we thought you would be." Steve laughed.

"Well, it's a university."

"We guessed that too." Bucky said.

"Are you finally going to tell us where you're going?" Steve asked excitedly. At this idea Bucky seemed to perk up too.

"Well, go on then! Tell us? Harvard? Yale?" Bucky asked eagerly.

"Cambridge!" She squealed out with a very forced smile on her face. There was a moment of confusion and then a very long moment of silence. "In England!" Her words started to become hard to get out.

"As in, _England_ England?" Bucky asked with a confused smile on his face.

"The one and only." Lois couldn't look at them anymore.

"Well, when do you leave?" Steve asked, disbelief evident in his voice.

Lois was silent for a moment before she took a deep brief and replied. "A week." She laughed nervously.

The booth was silent for a good minute before someone spoke. "A _week_?" Bucky exploded.

"Yes."

"You're leaving in a _week_? To _England_?"

"Yes."

"For how long?"

"Three years."

" _Three years?_ Why the hell didn't you tell us?" Bucky was getting angry, and Lois wanted to melt into her seat.

"Bucky-"

"No! How could you do this to us? A _week_?"

"Yes!" Lois was shouting too now, and people in the diner turned to look at them. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I-"

"No! There's no excuse for this!" Bucky stood up. "I can't believe you. I'm out." Bucky stormed out of the diner, leaving a pale Lois and a mortified Steve.

Steve looked up weakly at Lois who was on the verge of tears. "Steve, I-"

"How could you not tell us?" His voice sounded tired and very, _very_ wounded.

"I'm sorry." She whispered weakly.

"I'll go get Bucky. Stay here."

And with that Steve got up too and left the diner, leaving Lois alone. She sat there for a while, tapping her fingers nervously against the counter. After a couple of minutes she felt so sick that she couldn't take it anymore. She got up and ran out of the diner, leaving some money for the drinks and stumbled through the door.

She ran down the street and turned the corner when she ran straight into Bucky and Steve.

"What are you doing?" Steve asked.

Bucky still looked slightly angry, but it was evident that Steve had found him and had managed to convince him to come back.

"I was- I was just-" she sounded extremely breathless, and Bucky decided to cut her off.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

Lois looked down at the ground. "I didn't want you guys to treat me any differently. I didn't want the monthly trip to the zoo to be the _last_ trip to the zoo. I didn't want the weekly dinner with Steve's mom to be the _last_ dinner. I-"

But she was cut off by Bucky hugging her tightly. She closed her eyes and buried her head into his chest until he let go, much to Lois' dismay. Her feeling's for Bucky hadn't gone away, but Lois was still in denial. Once Bucky let her go Steve hugged her too.

When Steve finished hugging her, she wiped a tear from her eyes. "But those thing's _won't_ be the last times." Steve said. "You'll come back. We've still got to go travelling, remember?"

Lois smiled at him sadly. "Yeah."

"I know," Bucky said, "Why don't we go to the park? One last picnic?" Bucky looked at Lois guiltily. "Sorry," Bucky said. "The last picnic only for a little while."

~8~

The picnic had been great. Until Steve tried to punch someone in the face, and that someone punched him back. Harder.

"I'm not saying that you're easy," Lois had been saying to Bucky, "But if you were a girl you would be considered a whore."

"First of all, I don't know where you learnt that language from, young lady," Bucky said with raised eyebrows and Lois roller her eyes, "But you're only saying that because you're stiff."

"Stiff?" Lois laughed.

"Yes. When was the last time you went out on a date?"

 _One year ago. Daniel Hardy had been the worst mistake of her life. She'd only gone out with him because Bucky pushed her to._

Before Lois could respond though, Steve cut in. "As exciting as this conversation is, I need to go to the restroom."

Steve got up from the blanket that they had thrown lazily on the grass and started to walk over to one of the buildings on the outskirts of the park. Lois called: "That's what they _all_ say," just as Bucky called: "But you have so much to live for!" Steve looked back at his friends, mumbled something along the lines of 'dorks' and kept walking.

"Seriously though, Lois," Bucky said, looking at Lois, "You should go out more. You're a pretty gal" Bucky calling Lois pretty made her stomach drop, but she tried to ignore it, "and you need more friend's than just me and Steve."

"What's wrong with just you and Steve?"

"Well, look at it this way. Steve and I aren't going to be in England with you, are we?"

Lois moaned. "Can we just not talk about England?"

"I'm serious, Lois. You're going to be all on your own. You need to realize that you _are_ going to have to socialize."

"Are you trying to talk me into staying, because I'm seriously thinking about it now."

Whatever Bucky was saying now though was lost on Lois as she caught sight of Steve in the corner of her eye. He was talking – shouting, actually – at a man much bigger than him, even bigger than Bucky.

Suddenly, Steve took a swing at the guy and landed a punch right on his face. The guy looked shocked, but other than that it didn't look like Steve's punch had done anything.

"Shit!" Lois said, dropping her sandwich onto the blanket that they had been sitting on. Bucky didn't even bother to scold Lois for her language as they both shot up and ran towards Steve and the other guy.

By the time we had gotten there, Steve had been punched square in the jaw and was sprawled across the floor. The guy was about to kick Steve when Bucky jumped between them. Lois went to check on Steve.

"What do you think you're doing?" Bucky yelled at the guy who smirked sadistically.

"Teaching this runt a lesson." The guy snarled.

"Are you okay?" Lois whispered to Steve. He nodded and stood up straight away before she could stop him.

"Take what you said earlier back." Steve demanded. Bucky tried to push him back, but the other guy took a threatening step towards Steve regardless.

The other guy laughed. "Why don't you make me?"

Steve went to go punch the guy again, but Bucky stopped him. Lois looked around anxiously. This little scene was getting a lot of attention.

"Steve-" Bucky tried to reason, but Steve shook his head furiously.

"No! Why don't you tell Bucky what you said, Charlie?" Steve spat.

 _Do these guys know each other?_ Lois thought to herself, but she didn't have time to ask, because the guy – Charlie – had started laughing again.

"I was telling Steve here how I was going to take that whore," He nodded to me, "Bend her over and show her what being with a real man is like and then-"

But whatever Charlie was about to say was lost to the world, because Bucky landed a punch right to his jaw.

 _~8~_

Lois waited outside the police station for Bucky and Steve to come out. Charlie and his three friends – who had joined the fight pretty soon after it had begun – had left a while ago. Charlie was sporting a rather bloody and broken nose, and his friends looked badly beaten up too.

But as bad as Charlie and his friends looked, Bucky and Steve looked ten times worse.

Lois gasped when the two men sheepishly walked down the steps of the station. Bucky had a brand new black eye, and Steve's mouth was cut badly.

Lois, who had been leaning against the wall, rushed to them.

"What were you thinking?" She hissed at them. Steve looked at the ground, but Bucky scowled at her.

"What were _we_ doing? What were _you_ doing? Calling the cops?" He asked.

Lois laughed bitterly. "Excuse me? I was _saving_ you! If I hadn't gotten the police then they would have killed you. You were getting punched to death!"

"So what?" Bucky said.

"So what? So I don't want you guys _dying_ over what some tosser said!"

Steve looked up at her angrily. "We were defending your honor! He shouldn't be talking to you like that!"

"I don't need you to defend my honor!" Lois shouted suddenly, startling the two men. "I can defend my own honor! He's not the first guy to say that, and he certainly won't be the last!"

Bucky and Steve froze, and Lois cursed herself for letting this fact slip out. She hadn't planned on telling them, ever.

"What do you mean 'not the first guy'?" Bucky asked slowly after a moment of silence.

Lois was quiet.

"What do you mean?" Bucky asked again, more forcefully.

Lois sighed. "Just passing comments in the street." She shrugged.

"And you never thought to tell us this?" Steve demanded.

Lois shrugged again. "Look, it's not a big deal. So what if some idiot says something degrading to me? I don't care about his opinion. I never will. He's insignificant to me. I save me feelings for guys I actually _like._ "

Bucky and Steve just stared at her. "That's _you_ , you idiots." She said.

"But still-" Bucky began, but Lois cut him off.

"But still, there's nothing I can do about it. Just hold my head high and ignore it. This is a mans world, and no matter how hard I try to change that it's not going to happen in my lifetime. The best I can do is go down with my dignity."

"There's nothing noble about having scum like _that_ say rude things to you." Steve said.

"No, there isn't. But I won't stoop to their level. And I don't want you to either. _Don't_ fight people on my behalf again. I can deal with it myself."

"I can't make that promise." Bucky told her.

"Oh," She raised her eyebrows. "So you _don't_ think I can take care of it myself? You think I'm too weak? Too much of a woman?"

 _She's got me there,_ Bucky thought. _I can't argue with her anymore or she'll think I don't think she's strong enough._

After a moment of silence, Bucky spoke. "I still don't like it." Because he didn't. The thought of anyone saying such horrid things about Lois made him feel sick. The thought of anyone _doing_ those things to Lois even more so.

"Neither do I." Steve said.

"You don't have to. You just have to live with it." Lois told them. She sighed again, "Let's get you cleaned up. You're going to have nasty bruises tomorrow." She said, pulling them down the street. "You're mothers are going to throw fits when they see you."

The two men groaned. "And boys," Lois said more quietly, not looking at them. "Thanks."

 _~8~_

The day came that Lois was finally leaving for England. Her stomach flipped out of both excitement and dread. It had been decided that, while the Foster certainly had the money to pay for a boat ticket for Lois to travel back and visit her home, it would be a waste of time due to the long journeys.

This, sadly, meant that she would not see her family, Bucky or Steve for a total of three years. It made her feel sick to think about, but she would still be able to write them letters. Which the three friends promised to do every week. It was agreed that Bucky and Steve would give their letters to William to send over as it may have gotten rather pricey for them to do it themselves. Will didn't mind; anything for his youngest sister.

Lois looked around her empty room. The wardrobes were bare and the desk was empty. The books were still stacked against the walls alongside the canvases lining her room, but the record stand was stripped clean as well as all other possessions. The picture that used to hang by her bed of her, Steve and Bucky was tucked safely in one of her trunks.

Sighing, she made her way downstairs to her family. Her trunks were waiting in the car, and William would take her to the docks. Bucky and Steve were meeting her there to say goodbye.

"Here she is!" Jack Foster said as she entered the front room. "Our little university girl! We're so proud of you!"

Her mother barely got out a word out of fear of crying.

"Watch out Will, she'll be smarter than you soon!" Grace jested.

"She already is," Was Will's reply.

"Make sure to look out for wealthy young English men, Lois." Lottie said, a sly smile on her face. "Maybe you'll find a husband there."

"As much as I would _love_ for Lois to find a husband, I don't think that's why she's going, Lottie." Evelyn told her sister.

After Lois said goodbye to her siblings, nephews, nieces, parents and brother/sister in laws, William and she made their way to the docks. It was fairly busy there, huge numbers of people saying goodbye to family and friends. She had no idea how she was meant to find Bucky and Steve.

William helped her get her trunks out of the automobile. They were heavy with clothes, but Lois would be able to get them onto the ship.

William kissed her forehead. "I can't believe you're leaving for three years." He said sadly. "Who will I beat at chess now?"

Lois laughed. "I think you mean who will beat _you_ at chess."

"When you come back you'll be 21." Will said.

"When I come back your boys will be 8 and 5. I'm going to miss them growing up." She added the last bit sadly.

"Only three years of it." Will looked around at the crowd. "Where are Bucky and Steve?"

Lois shrugged. Her stomach dropped once again at the fact that they still weren't here. She had to be on the ship in ten minutes, and she was worried they wouldn't get here in time to say goodbye.

"I'm sure they'll make it." William said, noticing the worry on his sister's face. "I'll stay a little longer until they get here."

Five minutes later most passengers were on the ship, and there was still no sign of Bucky or Steve.

"I can't leave without saying goodbye." She told Will, although it sounded like Lois was telling herself more.

"They'll be here." Will reassured her again, and just then Bucky and Steve ran onto the dock. Lois' eyes lit up when she saw them and waved them over.

They were out of breath and red from running, but that wasn't what made Lois' eyes turn dark. It was evident from the two boys' faces that they had been fighting. Again. New bruises now sat on top of their old ones, and Steve's cut lip had opened up again.

"What happened?" Lois' tone turned angry.

"That doesn't matter." Bucky told her.

"Doesn't matter? Of course it matters! It mattered enough for you to nearly miss my boat!"

"We made it, didn't we?" Bucky asked irritably. He'd made it all the way here to say goodbye to Lois, not to have her shout at him.

"Oh yes, I'm so _grateful_ that you could stop fighting for five minutes to say goodbye to your friend." Lois said bitterly.

"Guy's stop it." Steve tried to say, but Bucky was already making a reply.

"I'm sorry I forgot that _everything_ is about you, Lois." Bucky spat.

Will and Steve shifted awkwardly beside the two fighting friends. "I never said it was!" Lois said. "But today is the last time I see you in _three years_ and I would have liked more than two minutes to say goodbye!"

"Both of you, stop it." Will said, stepping between them. "The last thing you want to happen is to leave on bad terms."

This shut Lois and Bucky both up. "Bucky and I are sorry that we're late," Steve stepped in. "There was a bully, and you know how much I don't like them. Bucky stepped in to help me, it was my fault."

Lois shook her head and chuckled. "You're going to get yourself killed fighting, Steve. And Bucky wont always be there to save your butt."

"Nah, he doesn't need me to save his butt." Bucky said, punching Steve lightly on the shoulder. "Just those bullies wait until he's-"

"Had his growth spurt." The three of us said in unison. It's what we often said, and the three of us broke off into laughs.

"I'm going to miss you two punks." Lois said, and Steve and Bucky swept her into a group hug.

"See you in three years, Lu." Steve said.

"Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone," Lois replied.

"Of course we wont; _you're_ the bad influence on _us_." Bucky told her.

"Goodbye." Lois said. She hated goodbyes. She hated that she was leaving the three most important people in her life on this dock. She wondered if anyone else felt the same way. That saying goodbye to someone you love was the hardest thing to do.

"Not a 'goodbye'," Bucky said. "A 'see you later'."

 _~8~_

Bucky and Steve got a ride with William after Lois' ship set sail. It was weird seeing her go away.

Steve didn't like it either. Even though he knew that it would never have happened – for he knew that Lois was _far_ smarter than he was – he had secretly hoped that she would go to the same college as Bucky and the one Steve was starting at in a few weeks.

The vehicle pulled up on Bucky and Steve's street. The two boys lived only a couple of apartment buildings away from each other, and so the two got out at the same time, thanking Will.

The car drove off, and Steve and Bucky stood there for a little while. "It will be weird not seeing her everyday," Steve said after a moment of silence.

"Tell me about it." Bucky said. "She's going to get eaten alive. I'd pay a good amount of money to see her socializing."

Steve looked at him. "No, she should be okay. She's gotten much better recently."

"Has she?" Bucky hadn't noticed anything. As far as he knew, Bucky and Steve were the only people she ever spoke to outside of her family.

"You mean you haven't noticed? She always talks to that guy at the diner when she waits for us, and the guy at park too."

Bucky's stomach twisted for some unexplained reason. Maybe he ate something bad? "What guy at the park?"

"You know, the one who always smiles at her?"

Bucky shook his head.

"I hope she makes friends in England," Steve continued. "Who knows, maybe she'll even find a husband."

Bucky's stomach twisted again. He must have definitely eaten something bad.

If Bucky had been paying attention, he would have noticed Steve smirk at his reaction. Steve was fairly certain that his friend seemed to like Lois in more than just a friend way. Now, if only Bucky realised it too.

"Well, night Bucky." Steve said.

"Night Steve. Sorry if your mom shouts at you," Bucky said, gesturing to Steve's beaten up face.

The two friends parted ways and went to their apartments. When Bucky walked into his kitchen his mother screamed.

"What happened to your face?" His mother scolded, walking up to him and inspecting his face. Bucky winced as his mother pressed down on his new bruises.

"Don't worry about it," Bucky told his mother, but she didn't seem to listen.

"This is the second time this week!" The sound of his mother scolding him brought his three younger siblings to see what had happened.

Walter, his youngest brother, gawked at him. "You got into _another_ fight?"

" _Steve_ got into another fight." Bucky told him. "It was my duty as his friend to back him up."

"It is your duty as his friend to _stop_ him from getting into fights." His mother corrected him.

"Believe me, I've tried."

His mother, who knew she wasn't going to win this argument, changed subjects. "How was Lois?"

His stomach twisted again. Maybe he should lie down. "She was fine."

"I still think its unfair that you didn't let us say goodbye." Rebecca, the second oldest but still younger than Bucky by five years, complained. Bucky's siblings were all very fond of both Lois and Steve.

"The last thing she would have wanted was three brats annoying her when she was leaving." Bucky teased them.

"Yeah, you're right. She already had the biggest brat of all there: you." Rebecca told him.

Later that night, while Bucky tried to go to sleep, his mind kept wondering to Lois. He kept thinking about what Steve had said. What if she _did_ find a husband? What if she didn't want to come back home at all?

The thought was enough to keep him up all night.

 **So this chapter is a bit shorter than the last one, and this is the sort of size I think they'll normally be. I didn't realise that the last one would be as long as it was, but I didn't think I could split it into two. Sorry about that :/**

 **Editing this chapter was a nightmare. I kept messing up the dates and getting confused as to how old everyone was. Please tell me if you notice any mistakes and I'll try to fix them. Thank you**

 **Shout out to aurrora1299, hellraiserphoenix, NicoleR85 and to the nameless Guest for reviewing!**

 **Please Read and Review, your feedback makes my day**

 **M-F-U**


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